Editorial
Buriganga channel under siege
Can we expect tough action against encroachers?
The callousness with which we have of late been treating matters of public concern does not bode well for the future. In the recent past, we at this newspaper have written extensively on the horrific manner in which rivers have been encroached upon, to a point where they are not only being narrowed but are also causing problems of navigation. Besides, we have conducted well-publicised campaigns, along with environmental organisations, to save our rivers. Unfortunately, after much sound and fury on the part of the administration about reclaiming the rivers, a kind of sloth appears to have come into the whole enterprise.
Which now brings us to the matter of what is being done to the second channel of the Buriganga. As a report and an accompanying photograph in yesterday's issue of this newspaper have clearly shown, the second channel is now as good as hostage at the hands of encroachers. Once a vibrant canal in the south-western part of the capital, it has now been reduced to a dumping ground for waste as also a site pieces of which can be gobbled up by individuals and organisations. The more embarrassing aspect of the situation is that all this illegal seizure of public property is being resorted to by people with political clout, which is a sure sign of how quickly the channel could end up turning into a tale of the past. There is, of course, the Environment Conservation Act 2000 under which no wetland can be filled up without any environmental clearance. But that law now flies in the face of the rudeness with which the second channel is being treated.
The issue has predictably and justifiably raised concerns among environmentalists as well as larger sections of society. We believe it is time for the authorities to go for tough action against those who have been indulging in the crime. And by tough action we do not mean the usual eyewash which comes in the wake of media reports on such violations of the law. In the past, news reports on environmental issues have been followed by the encroachers breaking down some constructions and then waiting for the furore to subside before they could go back to their nefarious activities. Let that not be repeated here. Our environment is under threat. Our rivers and other water bodies are at risk from criminals in the guise of respectable people. It is time to flush these criminals out and have them pay for their transgressions.
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